


Your happiness

by Mixu



Category: The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-14 07:12:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5734312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mixu/pseuds/Mixu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their dynamic, all three of theirs, was wonderful after proceeding from El Dorado. Yet still something starts falling apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your happiness

After El Dorado, things went what Tulio considered good. He had his girl and he had his partner, no one left behind and no hard feelings. The dynamic between the three of them was wonderful, and it did not hinder their yearning for gold. It's just that by now, Tulio knew that there were other comparable values. It lasted like that for months, the three of them trying to con their way out and back to Spain. With Chel on their side, it had gotten admittedly easier to pull off their plans, so less panicked running and more celebrating.

After they successfully managed to sail away from a dock with a decent ship, it was seriously time for celebrations. Tulio gave Chel quite a smooch before pulling away with a self-satisfied smile. „You really could hold your own back there~ Then again, your distraction skills branch out even a little too much,” he praised, the woman giving a chuckle in return. Tulio turned his eyes to his partner, who was looking off as he was keeping the course. The two met eyes, Miguel smiling back at him with a thoughtful yet cheerful look. Now if Tulio could think back on the point, where things started to fall apart again, it was most likely this. 

Once Spain was bound to be in sight, Miguel was manning the ship again as they had been taking turns. At the same time he was conversing with Chel. The latter looked rather worried. As Tulio came up to take over, he managed to notice the demeanor before Chel masked it, Miguel being his usual cheerful self, green eyes meeting blue. Tulio took over and the blonde gave a pat on his shoulder, the hand lingering a moment before he walked to the side, taking a deep breath.

What Tulio didn't see was how the cheerful smile was replaced by melancholy, but he did know to suspect from the mellowed behaviour compared to how they've, well, always been. He sent Chel a questioning glance, catching seriousness turning into a reassuring smile, a bit overdone. It only confirmed that once they were on land, he should talk to Miguel.

The night they were docking, Miguel had insisted on anchoring and they agreed to leave at the crack of dawn. Tulio startled up from his sleep, almost falling from his bed due to Chel closing the cabin door with a way louder bang than necessary. „Are we going?” Tulio asked, keeping his eyes barely open. The woman gave a worried look, pausing as if to find words before speaking.

„Miguel left.”

„What?” Tulio asked with a frown, his head clearing from the sleep. „We were supposed to leave at dawn, weren't we?” Chel all but nodded, taking another moment before adding to the statement.

„He isn't intending to come back.”

The words got Tulio to his feet faster than if he'd be chased by lawmen. Chel could see the panic setting in the other as her shoulders were grabbed.

„When did he leave? Do you know where? Why?” the questions tumbled out hurriedly, Tulio's gaze flicking between the woman and the cabin door in indecisively.

„Just now. He shouldn't be out of the harbour,” Chel explained, the look in her eyes telling that she knew exactly why, and that why was what Tulio had feared. The pained expression Tulio had, a request of permission, Chel of course replied with a nod. She had somewhat anticipated this. As Miguel had conversed with her on this matter halfway during the trip, she had the time to think the situation over. With a sigh she watched as Tulio ran out of the door. She hadn't kept her word, she was supposed to give a letter to the dark-haired man in the morning, admitting to seemingly have no idea why Miguel wouldn't give it himself. 

„Miguel!” Tulio shouted after spotting a figure at the end of the dock, retreating, the moonlight being the only illuminating source. The Spaniard rushed off from the ship, not waiting to see if the other stopped and also not risking shouting again. He ran along the dock, „Miguel, stop!” he shouted again once he was sure the figure in front of him was indeed his long-time partner in crime. 

To his relief, the other had stopped, but didn't turn. Tulio couldn't see how absolutely shattered Miguel felt, the blonde never showed this side to the other if he could help it. They both stood there, a short distance between them, the air full of questions, tension. Miguel took in a breath, plastering a smile over his expression, finally turning.

„Tulio,” he said, as if a casual greeting, a futile attempt to put the other at ease as his forearms were clutched a moment later.

„What is this?! Why would you leave me? Don't I even deserve a goodbye?!” 

Miguel couldn't say anything, couldn't even look at the other, knowing that for the first time in a long time, he couldn't hold his resolve solid in front of this man. 

„Look at me,” Tulio demanded, leaning in to the other's view of sight himself. When the blonde turned his head, he felt the grasp on his sleeves getting tighter.

„Miguel, look at me,” the man repeated, a desperate note in his voice to which the other snapped his gaze right at him, wide green eyes meeting searching blue ones. The silence spanned for tormenting moments that seemed like ages.

„I thought I had you,” Tulio said, his voice quieter, the words causing Miguel to take a wavering breath. Why did he follow him? Why did Chel tell? Didn't they want to be happy? 

„Tulio let me go,” he said shakily, Tulio not letting him step away. „Let me go before this gets worse,” he tried again with a step back, the other taking one forward. 

„What gets worse?” Tulio asked, unrelenting and steady, Miguel silent again. He couldn't. He though he could, but being through so much as they have, it would've been better to just disappear, no goodbyes, no confrontation, the gash in his heart would be healed better. Tulio would remember him as optimistic and cheerful as ever. 

„I-...” Miguel started, words catching in his throat, his gaze pleading for the other to relent. It was heart shattering for Tulio to witness this. He hasn't seen his partner this disraught in years, not even when they were supposed to part ways at El Dorado.

„Miguel,” Tulio addressed. He needed to hear this, moving his hands to cup the other's face, to not break their gaze. Miguel blinked in pained confusion, the other's hands warm to the touch. He closed his eyes, willing back the tears that already spilled. Seeing him cry was torture for Tulio. 

„I love you,” Miguel finally said through uwilling tears. It wasn't with a smile, but delivered with long-broken hope and vulnerability, ready to get rejected, pushed away. Yet instead, he was pulled into an tight embrace. Miguel clutched the back of the other's shirt as soon as he realized. He hid his face against the man's shoulder, feeling a hand gently caressing his hair in a comforting gesture. Yet all the pent up tears weren't to be stopped, each hush near his ear, each caressing move coaxing more of them out.

It was a long moment as they stood there, Tulio patiently waiting for the other to gather himself, in sad disbelief how much visible heartache his partner had masked in front of him. Minutes passed and they were standing quietly now, reluctant to break the moment. How to break the moment? Tulio sighed, his heart making a small leap as he pushed away the other's hair and placed a kiss on his temple. When Miguel finally looked at him, the blonde's face was a few shades redder, Tulio's own probably not far behind.

„Let's-” the dark-haired man was about to suggest to go back but was cut off as Miguel seized the moment, bringing their lips together. It was brief, even suprisingly chaste. Tulio felt cold as the other finally stepped away, the fond smile back on his face. Only now did Tulio understand the full meaning behind that smile. Hell, even he had caught himself looking back as fondly way more than once before this confrontation.

He swung an arm around the other's shoulder, the mood lightening as Miguel did not give any protests in the change of direction. 

„We're gonna have to talk a few things out. A plan,” Tulio suggested with self-satisfied smile, Miguel agreeing knowingly. When they looked up to the ship railing, they saw Chel leaning against it with a grin that caught on to them too. 

„Well boys, you better show me this plan of yours,” she said, obviously having heard Tulio's suggestion. The other two gave partially embarrased laugh, all of them in a positively lighter mood, deciding they could use a few more days out on the sea to work on their, eh, plan.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to, I ship this so much, soulmates, Miguel and Tulio. Honestly, as I was writing this I had no idea what to do with Chel but oh well, apparently I headcanon all three of them in a poly relationship in the end. Because let's face it, Chel gets along with both of them quite well and I like happy endings.
> 
> This was to make peace with myself cause the ending there is so open ended and KNOWING they were supposed to be lovers >


End file.
